Far from Ordinary
by Elizabeth Bathory
Summary: #93 - Lost in the LJ Pepperony 100 challenge - Iron Man/A Life Less Ordinary crossover - Thanks to a little celestial help from above to set them on the right path, Tony and Pepper are thrown into a weekend of chaos to try to bring them to their senses.
1. Saturday

Far from Ordinary

By Elizabeth Bathory

_The sun shone brightly into the ceiling to floor all white office making it almost hurt someone's eyes that was not used to it. Everything in the room was white, right down to every little paper clip on Gabriel's desk. Gabriel was the man in charge. He handed out the assignments. It was a difficult job to manipulate human relationships on Earth and since he only answered to one above him, Gabriel had to be careful in whom he chose for a particular job. It was as he was shuffling a few papers on his desk and waiting for his four o'clock that he seriously questioned his judgment on this assignment._

_At exactly one minute before four, a sharp knock was sounded on his door and it opened to reveal O'Reilly and Jackson – his so called specialists in difficult romantic situations. O'Reilly was a woman in her mid thirties who had a little bit of a Bonnie Parker tendency when it came to fashion and a propensity for large weapons. Jackson was a tall black man in his late forties who seemed to mellow out O'Reilly's more abrupt tendencies._

_"You asked to see us, sir?" Jackson asked as he pulled out the chair for O'Reilly and then took his own seat._

_Gabriel slid a file folder across the table. "I am almost hesitant to give you two another assignment like this after what happened last time._

_"We were very successful with that one. Robert and Celine just had like their third kid last year." O'Reilly piped in._

_"Yes…but I don't want to have to be bringing anyone back from the dead this time." Gabriel countered as he gestured for them to open the folder. "This case though may be infinitely harder than Robert and Celine. Those two were total opposites who didn't even know the other existed. These two know each other almost intimately and deeply care for one another but keep denying the fact that they are in love with each other."_

_"Can you give us a bit of a back story here that may not be in the notes?" Jackson asked as he perused the dossier._

_"He is Anthony Edward Stark, a billionaire industrialist and former playboy turned super hero after a period of imprisonment in Afghanistan. She is Virginia Potts, his personal assistant for more than a decade and keeps his business and him in line. These two people belong together and they see it but they keep denying it."_

_The folder emitted a bright white light as it was opened. O'Reilly and Jackson looked at each other and shrugged. This was going to be harder._

_"Jeopardy, Jackson. It's always the best solution." O'Reilly stated._

_"I was afraid you were going to say that."_

Outside the main convention hall of Kansas State University College of Engineering was a parking lot full of cars that once carried thousands of visitors to the annual Inventor's Convention and showcase. Inside the hall the latest technology in everything from agriculture, to medicine, to computers, to toys were laid out for everyone to get a sneak peak of and for potential investors to investigate.

According to the information in the folder, Anthony Stark and Virginia Potts were scheduled to be here. Now they just had to find them.

"What kind of car are they driving?" Jackson asked as he scanned the parking lot for something that looked like it belonged to a billionaire.

"The folder says that they were supposed to have a Lexus at the rental place at the airport but it was unavailable so they ended up with a Chevy Aveo sedan," O'Reilly read. "In green…seaweed green." She added with a smirk.

Once he had the description, it did not take long to find the car in question. "There it is, right by the front door." Jackson pointed out.

O'Reilly smiled as she got out a few tools and popped the trunk of the Aveo and got to work on it, messing around with it in the vilest of ways.

"According to the notes we have, this man has several degrees from MIT, including mechanical engineering. You don't think that he'll be able to fix this?" Jackson asked.

O'Reilly pulled something up out of the engine, looked at it, dropped it on the ground a few times, shook it up and shoved it back in. "Not after I'm done with this." She said with a smirk before they made their quick exit.

It was nearly five in the afternoon when Tony Stark and Pepper Potts finally emerged out of the expo. For Tony, the Inventors' Expo was like Christmas for him. He got to scope out all the new toys and investment opportunities with out all the hassle of checks and balances from the Board. He was riding high on cloud nine until he came out and remembered the seaweed green piece of shit he was stuck driving.

"Remind me why I can't sue that rental place again?" Tony asked as he was getting into the car.

"Because they gave you this one for free because of their mistake," Pepper reminded him as she put her purse in the backseat and got in the passenger side of the car. "You can't sue for something you didn't pay for."

"I think even that could be challenged." Tony chimed in as he peeled out of the parking lot.

Not more than ten minutes on the road, Tony's good mood was shot down just a bit further down the crapper. The original plan was to land in the land of many cows in the morning, go to the expo, get back on the plane and be back in Los Angeles by that night. A wrench got thrown into that plan when the road they were driving on back to the airport where Tony's private jet was parked got detoured down some tiny little dirt country road due to recent tornado activity. Now it wasn't the dirt road directly that caused the foulness in Tony's mood. It was what happened to the car.

They had made it about half an hour down this shitty little road only seeing one sign for a town called Bluff City, five miles – population 80 – and more cows than people. Not one hundred yards after the sign, the car made a quick sputtering noise and all of a sudden died right where it was.

"What the hell?" Tony muttered as he tried to restart the car with absolutely no success. After the third try, he yanked the keys out of the ignition and tossed them to Pepper as he popped the hood and got out of the car.

"See I was right about this piece of seaweed colored shit," Tony spat back angrily. "American name made with freaking Korean parts." He spat as he waved away the smoke from the engine.

Pepper had to do her level best not to laugh at Tony. Yes, he had complained about the car when they got it and he was proven right about it but it was quite funny to watch him swear at the smoking engine that he himself had probably killed by seeing if the car could go above eighty. "Anything I can do to help?" she called out the window.

"Yes…damn it…" Tony said as he simultaneously burnt his hand on the overheated engine and hit his head on the raised hood. "Toss me a flashlight."

"Are you alright?" Pepper asked with stifled laughter as she passed the small flashlight to Tony.

Tony didn't say anything. He just shot her a very dark look before he went back to work on the car.

After several more minutes of colorful swearing and a lot of banging, Tony back away from the car and slammed the hood shut. "Shit!" he spat angrily as he pulled out his cell phone. He held it up for a few seconds, trying to find a signal before tossing it on the driver's seat. "Pepper, give me your CrackBerry for a minute."

"What for?" she asked as she almost reluctantly handed over her BlackBerry.

"I have to call a goddamn tow truck for this piece of shit and my damn phone won't get a signal," Tony ground out as he tried again. "And apparently neither does yours. Figures, we have to be in the one place in the entire country that does not get a cell tower. How close did that sign say we were?"

"It was five miles to the next town," Pepper sighed, now wishing that she had chosen better shoes to wear.

"Well, let's hope it has a garage because I am not walking any further than an hour for something that belongs in a junk yard." Tony stated as he handed Pepper her bag and started walking down the road.

Just as Tony had predicted, an hour later down a rocky dirt road they entered the town limits of Bluff City, a city with only one real street down the middle of a half square mile town. Down one side of the street was a general store, police station, bank and the post office. The other side had a small motel with a diner, the garage, and a feed store.

"Oh my god…this isn't a town…it's a movie set." Tony whispered to Pepper.

"According to the sign, it's a town." Pepper laughed despite the fact that her feet were killing her.

Tony muttered something under his breath before walking down to the tiny little garage with Pepper following behind as best as she could until the heel of her shoe broke off and she was slowed down a bit.

A tiny bell rang as Tony flung open the garage door and went up to the desk where a kid no more that eighteen was working. "I need a tow truck." Tony demanded.

The mechanic put down his comic book and looked at the person in front of him in a black t-shirt and jeans and the redhead coming in behind him in a skirt and broken high heels. "Well…the truck is kinda out at the moment. Where's your car at?"

"Five miles down the damn road." Tony said as he smacked the keys down on the counter. "And as far as I'm concerned, you can keep it or call the rental place to get it because I'm done with it." Tony spat. "You got a phone I can use?"

"The only public phone in town is in the post office…"

As soon as Tony heard that, he was out the door before the kid could finish and crossing the street only to get smacked in the face yet again.

"Closed for holiday until Tuesday!" Tony screamed out as he leaned back against the wall of the building. "I can't freaking believe this. Pepper? How much would it cost me to buy the damned town and get the postmaster here myself to open the door?"

"Less than what it would cost to bail you out of jail for bribing a government official." Pepper sighed as she watched Tony slide down to the ground. She wasn't laughing any more.

Tony closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall of the post office in frustration. "Got any ideas on what we do now because I am most certainly out of them?" he asked in a somewhat defeated tone.

"Well, since it looks like we're going to be here for the weekend, we have a few things we need to do. We'll need to get a few more things to wear since all we have is what we have on. We'll need a place to stay and something to eat. I personally suggest shopping first since it looks as things close a little early around here."

"I want to know why the whole damn town only has one phone though." Tony stated roughly as he got up off the ground and Pepper dragged him the thirty feet to the general store.

Once inside and ignoring the look from the cashier about the fact that they were coming in a half an hour before closing time, Tony and Pepper ignored the wall of pickled vegetables and odd animal parts and cooking utensils and picked up a few quick necessities – toiletries, things to wear for the next two days and a few mind puzzle games to keep Tony occupied. Pepper had it far harder than Tony did when it came to finding clothes. She found two pairs of jeans and a pair of Keds that would fit her well enough but the best shirts she could find was small men's t-shirts.

When they walked up to pay, Tony was still itching for a fight. As the girl totaled up their purchases, Tony automatically plunked down his credit card.

"I have a question," He started. "Can I ask why the whole town has only one public phone?" Tony asked as the girl was calling in his credit card.

"Most people just use the phone in their houses." The girl simply stated. "What's so important that it can't wait a five spell to get on home?"

Tony was not happy with that answer and the sigh Pepper heard from him was proof of it. "I'm back in the nineteenth century," he muttered under his breath as he signed the slip and grabbed the bags to meet up with Pepper outside.

As soon as Pepper saw the look on Tony's face when he went up to pay, she knew a storm was coming and for this once she thought it was best to get out of the way. She ducked out the door and changed her broken Gucci heels into the sneakers she had bought, making her feet feel a great deal better and easing her mood to better deal with Tony.

Tony was still wondering how they managed to fall off the planet and end up in another dimension that should not still exist when he came out of the store. He set the bag down next to Pepper and sat down next to her on the bench, pinching the bridge of his nose to ward off the beginning of a headache.

"Tony? Why don't we check into the motel there and get something to eat? You'll feel better after that." Pepper said gently, trying to get control back over the situation.

"I'll feel better when we're back in Malibu and out of Mayberry here." Tony said as he heaved himself off the bench with an audible pop to his back before they crossed the street to the Horse and Wagon Inn.

As soon as Tony saw the motel, he got a feeling that things were going to get worse even faster. The so-called lobby looked like it was still stuck in the 40's or 50's with a log book, old punch-button cash register and the tackiest upholstery on the few chairs that existed.

"Howdy," the man behind the desk said a little too pleasantly for Tony's taste. "What can I do for you?"

"We need a room until Tuesday." Tony stated flatly.

The clerk opened his log book and flipped through a few pages. "Well, we only have one room left with the festival in town this weekend but there's a town law about renting it."

"What's the law?" Tony snapped out quickly, just about at his wits' end.

"Well… we can only rent it to man and wife because it's our honeymoon suite."

Tony had to think quickly. "Well, that's not a problem. My wife and I," he said as he quickly took Pepper's hand to bring her forward. "Were just out here on business and we had car trouble."

"That's a shame to hear but I am sure that Sam over at the garage there will fix it up just so for you in no time."

"How much per night?" Tony asked, especially when he saw the sign that said no credit cards accepted.

"Twelve fifty, sir."

"Twelve fifty?" Tony repeated in shock at first until his tired brain kicked in. "Twelve dollars and fifty cents a night?"

"Yes, I know that sounds a might steep but a few years ago we had to raise the rates to keep up with town growth."

Tony had to try not to laugh. He was used to spending 25,000 a night for a hotel room. He fished out his wallet and opened it up and pulled out a 50 and set down on the counter.

Pepper watched the clerk's reaction when he saw the fifty dollar bill and she thought that he was going to pass out dead away on it.

"Just sign the ledger here and I'll get you your key," the man stammered out as he handed Tony his change.

Tony picked up the pen and signed the book – Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Carbonell.

Pepper saw what he had signed and gave him a questioning look.

"What?" Tony asked at the look he was getting.

"What is that?" Pepper whispered. "You never use that."

Tony pulled Pepper back away from the counter. She was right, he never did use the alias he had created for himself a while back but he had his reasons now. "Let me have a little fun here, Ms. Potts. It's obvious they don't have a clue on who I am so why do I even have to bother with my real name."

"It's fraud, Tony." Pepper whispered.

"No, it's not. If I had to use my credit card, I would have put Stark but since I can't…why give the tabloids any more fuel for the fire than I already do. None of them would remember my mother's name." Tony corrected her.

"What fuel for the fire? I don't exactly see the Enquirer popping out from a barn here." Pepper stated as she crossed her arms in front of her.

"Aren't you the one who's always telling me to be more careful? We don't know this place and one person here who may actually have internet may figure it out and then we're front page news." Tony reminded her as he walked back up to the counter.

"Here are your keys, sir. Room number two…right near the office in case you need anything." The clerk said.

Tony took the keys and had a sudden sense that he had just walked into the Bates' Motel as he thanked the clerk and gave Pepper a signal to get moving as fast as possible.

They walked down to Room number two and put the key into the door to unlock it. As soon as the door was opened, the smell of cheap air freshener and stale air assaulted them. The pink rose wallpaper was peeling off the walls and the white paint was chipped. A queen sized bed was in the middle of the room with a bathroom just off to the right next to a small closet. The only other thing in the room was a TV on a TV stand that still had rabbit ears on it.

Pepper took one look at the room and swallowed hard. "This is going to be interesting."

Tony dropped the bag at the foot of the bed and then took Pepper's hand and nearly pulled her out. "We'll figure out interesting later. Right now, I'm hungry and that diner is still open."

Pepper had to nearly run to keep up with Tony. "I doubt it's going to close all that quickly, Tony."

"Everything else in this town does…why not this too?" Tony stated.

The hell that had once been a very fun Saturday took a small upswing at the diner. To both Tony and Pepper's delight, all the food was entirely homemade and they kept bringing it until you were about to burst. For once, Tony was enjoying southern hospitality. The three pieces of blueberry pie he had should have been proof of that. The only thing that it lacked was a liquor license and both them could have used a stiff drink at that moment.

After dinner, Pepper collapsed on to the bed and took out her BlackBerry and started playing Solitaire on it while Tony went to attack the TV.

"Tony? We do have to discuss one thing…" Pepper started off.

"What's that?" Tony said gruffly as he played with the rabbit ears to try to get a picture on the TV.

"Sleeping arrangements," Pepper stated simply. "I was thinking…"

"I am NOT sleeping on the floor." Tony stated firmly, cutting off her statement before he gave the TV a good smack.

"Then what do you suggest?"

Tony gave the rabbit ears one last twist and all of a sudden a picture came on the TV…baseball…Yankees versus Texas Rangers. Satisfied with this, Tony stripped off his t-shirt and threw it on the floor next to the bag and then flopped on the bed next to Pepper. "I suggest this." He stated as he stretched out to watch the game.

"I have a problem with this…" Pepper started to protest before Tony held up his hand.

"Stop right there," Tony warned. "It's a big bed, Pepper and from what I have heard I'm not that bad of a bedmate."

"You usually don't stay with those…."

"And if you haven't noticed, there hasn't been one of those since I came home." Tony pointed out. "Especially since what's her name was such a bitch." He added as he took the pillows out from behind him and set them between them. "But if I'm that bad, will this work?"

Pepper looked at the small, flattened thin pillows between them and sighed. "I guess so." She stated as she got off the bed and started rummaging through the bag.

"What are you doing?" Tony asked through a yawn as he looked over at her.

"I'm going to take a shower before going to bed." Pepper replied.

A smirk grazed Tony's lips first and then faded into concern. "Do me a favor…keep the door open."

"Keep the door open? I don't think so, Tony."

"I'm actually being serious this time." Tony stated in his own defense. "I didn't exactly trust Norman Bates at the desk there and I don't want anything happening to you."

Pepper was about to protest again but then realized that Tony did have a point. "Fine, but I better not catch you watching." She said before heading into the bathroom, leaving Tony to watch the baseball game.

After her shower, Pepper dried off with the nearly see-through towels and pulled on the one larger t-shirt she bought to sleep in. When she came back into the main part of the room, Pepper had to smile. Tony had fallen dead asleep while watching TV. She turned off the game and the light and crawled into the other side of the bed, hoping that Sunday would turn out better.


	2. Sunday & Monday

Warm sunlight snuck through the partially open and somewhat threadbare curtains on Sunday morning, rousing Pepper from what had been a surprisingly good night's sleep. Not choosing to move yet and still a little disoriented, Pepper turned her head to look at the bedside clock and saw that it was well after 8:30. Pepper was a little surprised since she rarely slept past six at home. As sleep almost threatened to claim her again, a sound that sounded familiar and alien all in the same breath hit her ears…snoring. At some point during the night, Tony had managed to flip from lying on his back to his stomach and his arm had violated the pillow barrier and draped itself over Pepper's waist. This in itself led to questions running at ninety miles an hour through Pepper's mind. Given the fact that she was a light sleeper and able to wake up with half a ring from her cell phone or alarm clock, how did Tony's arm over her not wake her up?

Now, since she was afraid to move as to not wake Tony just yet since he seemed to be sleeping peacefully, a rare occurrence, Pepper started looking a little more carefully at her employer. She had worked for Tony for the better part of a decade and had cared for him for nearly the same length of time though she always denied it. But after he came home from Afghanistan, it got harder to deny her feelings, especially right now as she lay next to him in bed and was watching him sleep.

Before Pepper realized it, a half an hour had gone by and Tony slowly started to stir next to her. At first, he just shifted position and rolled on to his side so his back was facing her and Pepper suddenly missed the warm weight and security of his arm over her. Then, giving up on going back to sleep, Tony rolled over so he was again facing Pepper.

"How long have you been watching me?" he asked through a yawn as he rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Not that long and it's not the first time that I have." Pepper said as she sat up in bed.

"Are you saying you do this often?" Tony asked with a smirk as he slid off the bed.

"Every time you come back in less than perfect condition from a mission," Pepper countered honestly. Every time he came back banged up, injured or bleeding from his exploits, Pepper worried for him.

"You know, you're always welcome to join me. I'll make room for you," Tony said as he grabbed some clean clothes and headed into the bathroom. "How many other women get that invitation? Actually in my bedroom and not the 'date' room?" he called out as he stripped down and got under the hot water.

"None that I have had to escort out," Pepper sighed as she peeked in the open door. She did not know if Tony had stolen any glimpses while she was in the shower the night before but Pepper sure as hell did.

After both had gotten cleaned up, they headed down to the diner attached to the motel again for breakfast. Still showing his recent addiction for Southern home cooking, Tony managed to clean a five-stack of strawberry pancakes, hash browns, two eggs, toast, bacon and two cups of coffee. Pepper though managed something that was more fitting for human consumption and not a starving giant with a metabolism on overdrive. When the bill came, Tony had to pass it over to Pepper. He had given the motel clerk a heart attack when he paid with a fifty and if he paid a ten dollar bill with a hundred, the waitress would probably keel over dead.

"So, is there anything you want to do?" Pepper asked as she waited for her change.

"Is there anything to actually do in this little burg?" Tony countered.

"I saw signs for a Sunflower festival and there's always looking around the town for a bit." Pepper suggested.

"I think I'd rather fight with that antique of a TV in the room for a while," Tony said with a small cringe.

Pepper sighed. It was true that they were in a bad situation but she was trying to make the best of it. "Fine, go back to the room. I will be exploring the town."

"That will take all of five minutes," Tony scoffed as he got up and left the diner.

Relieved to have a break from Iron Man's crankiness for a little while, Pepper took a leisurely stroll down the street, met a few of the nice people that actually lived in this town and then wandered back into the general store. This time, she had a great deal more time to browse and didn't receive a dirty look from the girl at the cash register. Without Tony there, Pepper was able to find a jean skirt and a button down sleeveless blouse that fit her relatively well and a few other things that could still be worn when they got back to California.

Once he was back in the hotel room, it took Tony another forty-five minutes before he managed to get the TV to work again while resisting the urge to dismantle it with every fiber of his being. When the antique piece of junk decided to work, Tony settled on reruns of _Gilligan's Island_ and _I Dream of Jeannie_ but quickly got bored with only 60's sitcoms so he rummaged through the bag from the general store and found a small bag of brain puzzles which Pepper had undoubtedly picked up knowing that he would get bored. The Rubik's cube took Tony all of twenty seconds to complete. He was attacking some of the hand crafted wooden ones when a knock at the door distracted him.

"What do you want?" Tony snapped at the man and woman on the other side of the door, forgetting he wasn't in his workshop at home and had to deal with distractions.

"Housekeeping, sir," O'Reilly stated coolly. "You're going to have to leave."

"Fine," Tony spat as he turned off the TV, grabbed his sunglasses and pushed past Jackson and O'Reilly. "I thought there was supposed to be something called Southern hospitality." He added in as he walked out into the street to try and find Pepper.

When Tony stepped out into the afternoon sun, he was a bit surprised at what he saw. The night before, the town had been nearly entirely shut down when he and Pepper had arrived and now it was full of energy. The so-called Sunflower festival was going on full blast with rides, games, food...the works. He scanned the crowd quickly and soon found the tall redhead with great legs that he was looking for by a water gun game. Before going over to her though, Tony stopped at one of the vendors and bought Pepper a fiber optic light up sunflower with the some of the change he had from the fifty the night before but not really paying much attention to the vendor. His gaze was focused only on Pepper.

As Tony walked closer, he could see that Pepper was talking with some of the women of the town and seemingly having a good time before the race started. When the bell rang, he stayed back just a few steps to watch…to watch Pepper easily smoke the competition.

"A flower for the victor," Tony said suavely as he presented her the light up sunflower with a little flourish as he leaned against the counter.

"Thank you Tony," Pepper said with a slight blush as the operator handed her a small stuffed parrot.

"I felt I needed to apologize and flowers are usually a good way to go," Tony said with a smirk.

"Usually purple hyacinths mean I'm sorry," the woman next to Pepper said. "Sunflowers are a sign of devotion. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude." She said before excusing herself.

Pepper smiled as she looked down at the light up sunflower that Tony had given her and its significance did stick in her mind after the woman had said it. "Devotion?"

"You are all I have. Why wouldn't I be devoted to you?" Tony stated with a small shrug.

"Are you willing to prove your devotion?" Pepper asked with a small smirk.

"Name the challenge and I shall win it in your honor." Tony said with a smile.

Pepper pointed to a large stuffed rabbit. "I want you to have to bring that bunny back on the jet for me."

"Consider it yours," Tony said with a smile as he walked up to the game. To his luck and a tribute to his work, Tony had a fair hand with a bb gun and with skillful ease shot the star clean away. "I guess being Iron Man has some benefits after all," he whispered to Pepper as the operator handed him the rabbit.

"You knew how to do that well before your extracurricular activities," Pepper said with a laugh as she gave him a kiss on the cheek as a reward for winning her the rabbit. "I am curious if you're daring enough to do one thing," Pepper asked as she eyed the rides out of the corner of her eye. One in particular was the Snowrush, a ride that Tony threw up on the last time he went on it.

Savoring the kiss, albeit small, Tony soon followed Pepper's gaze to the ride from hell and he sighed. "You won't go up with me but you'll go on that thing over and over again."

"Are you saying you can't do it, even now?" Pepper teased.

"If I throw up again because of it, I am so blaming you for it. And if I do get through with this, you are coming up with me at least once." He conceded as he paid for the tickets with the last of his free money and stepped on to the ride.

As the club music started playing, the ride took off going around in a circle, building speed until the cars started to lift to the side and then it reversed, going even faster. After six minutes of this, it finally came to a stop and both Tony and Pepper managed to get through it without throwing up.

As things were starting to close down for the evening, Tony and Pepper grabbed a few quick slices of pizza from one of the vendors and headed back to their motel room only to crash on the bed out of happy exhaustion.

As Pepper kicked off her shoes and relaxed back against the pillows for a moment, Tony went ahead to fight with the TV again to see if he could find something decent to watch. Luckily, it only took twenty minutes of fighting this time when Tony found _Air America_ on one of the stations just starting.

"Oh, I love this movie," Pepper exclaimed as Tony joined her on the bed and she shifted over so she was resting her head on his shoulder. "I always thought that Mel Gibson was hot in this."

Quietly, Tony put his arm around Pepper's back without any protests but silently rolling his eyes at the comment about the hotness level of Mel Gibson. "What? Nothing about the other guy…what's his name there?"

"Robert Downey, Jr.?" Pepper asked. "He's cute enough but…"

"But what?" Tony asked. "You don't like him as well?"

"Well…" Pepper hesitated until she saw the person in question up close again and she gasped. He looked very much like Tony did when he was younger and she had to think quickly.

"Well what? You don't think he's as good looking as me? Tony pushed again.

"No way Tony, you are way better looking than he is but he does look a little bit like you." Pepper stated, unknowingly stroking an ego that did not need to be stroked.

"Believe me, I have been hearing it since this guy was in _Chaplin_." Tony said through a yawn as he got comfortable. "It only stopped when I grew the beard."

"And that made you ever so distinctly you," Pepper said tiredly as she snuggled a bit closer into Tony's shoulder and closed her eyes, missing the end of the movie.

* * *

The sun was decidedly absent Monday morning, having been replaced by the constant pattering of rain against the window and the occasional rumble of thunder. One of these rumbles wasn't so much of a rumble but more of an explosion, jolting Pepper awake with a jump and a shoved hand against Tony's chest.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Tony mumbled sleepily as his brain was forced to jumpstart into functioning.

Pepper blushed with slight embarrassment at waking Tony up so abruptly. "The thunder…I got startled."

"Rain is a perfect excuse to sleep in," Tony mumbled as he tried to pull Pepper back down to the spot on his chest that she was sleeping on. "Damn the thunder."

Giving into her heart and the warm comfort that Tony's arms were offering, Pepper allowed him to ease her back down to where she had fallen asleep, snuggling against his warmth for a few more moments since it seemed that Tony had quickly fallen back to sleep.

Tony had not been totally awake when Pepper bolted upright with the thunder but when he felt her snuggle against him, he certainly was then. He opened his eyes for a moment to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Pepper Potts was in his arms and sleeping on his chest, thus giving him one of the happiest moments he had ever had in his life. He closed his eyes again, not falling back to sleep because he was enjoying this way too much but savoring every single second he got to have her in his arms.

That lasted a whole half an hour when Tony's stomach decided to growl loudly, making him cringe with embarrassment.

Pepper stirs when she heard the loud echo of Tony's empty stomach. "How long have you been awake?" she questioned as she pushed herself up.

Tony didn't answer her exactly but the guilty look on his face with the small smirk said boat loads.

"Well, if I had known you were awake, we could have done something," Pepper said with a smirk as she gets up and heads off to take a shower.

"What do you mean we could have done something?" Tony asked as he was getting off the bed and nearly started to follow her into the bathroom since that sure sounded like an invitation to him.

"Well Tony, I guess you will never know now huh?" Pepper teased as she saw him start to follow her. She quickly held up her hand. "Stay." She told him, forcing Tony back down into a sitting position on the bed.

It was still raining after they had finished breakfast and many of the Sunflower Festival events had to be put off until the rain stopped. Many of the town's residents had taken refuge under the overhangs of the various businesses along the street. Underneath the general store, there were three tables with various board games set up on them. This was something that caught Tony's eye. He saw a pair of men at one table playing backgammon, a grandfather and granddaughter playing checkers at another and a middle aged man sitting at the chess table, looking for an opponent.

Pepper didn't need to say anything once she saw that look in Tony's eyes. "Go. I have a book I can read and if I get bored, I am sure I can find something to do."

"I have a reputation to upkeep here." Tony said as he gave Pepper a quick kiss on the cheek and sat down across from the man at the table with the chess board.

Three hours later and countless victories (and losses) in chess and backgammon, the rain finally stopped and the festival organizers quickly got the day on the way. The first event was a pie eating contest.

Tony and Pepper watched from the side at first as at least fifteen of the town's residents signed up for the contest.

"Tony, how many pieces of pie did you have on Saturday night?" Pepper asked.

"I think four, why?"

"Think you can take them?" Pepper hinted as her head ticked towards the table.

Tony sized up the competitors. "I can give it a fair shot." He shrugged as he joined the contest, despite the strange looks he got from the locals.

With their hands tied behind their backs, at the sound of the gun, seventeen people went face first into their pies. First one finished won. The whole thing took less than three minutes with the high school quarterback taking the trophy. Tony was impressed. He could easily put away five cheeseburgers in that time but pie was harder and he told the kid that as he shook his hand in congratulations.

As the rain started back up again, Tony went back to the room for a bit to lie down since scarfing down something that heavy was never easy on the stomach.

As evening started to fall and music and the smell of barbeque started to fill the air when the rain stopped again, Pepper went back up to the motel room to get Tony and to change into the skirt and blouse she had bought earlier. She quietly opened the door to find him still sound asleep on the bed.

"I guess someone needed a nap after consuming three quarters of a pie," Pepper said to herself as she crossed to the other side of the bed, sitting on the edge as she gently shook Tony's shoulder.

"Hi…what time is it?" Tony said sleepily as he stretched out and smiled.

"It's nearly dinner time…if you're feeling up to it." Pepper said with a smile before ducking into the bathroom to change. "Now that the rain has let up again, they have a barbeque set up in the tent with music, dancing and fireworks tonight."

"I'm game for that," Tony said as he finally sat up and stretched his back out once more.

"I didn't think you'd be hungry after all that pie," Pepper said as she stepped out of the bathroom.

Tony found himself nearly speechless when Pepper came out. He never knew a jean skirt and a sleeveless blouse could be so damn sexy. He swallowed hard as he admired the gorgeous site in front of him. "You underestimate me," he finally said as he stood up and took her hand. "I'm always hungry for something."

"Forgive me…I forgot," Pepper teased as she followed Tony to the tent outside.

Once they were in the tent, Tony's voracious appetite for the southern cooking took over once more as he polished off his fair share of ribs and was half tempted to buy the recipe off the grill master. After dinner, a band started to play some music that was halfway danceable. When something that sounded a little like a swing, Tony gave Pepper a wink and pulled her up despite her protests, which he fully expected. She kept saying that she didn't know what she was doing but she followed pretty damn well for someone who didn't know what they were doing. When Pepper finally managed to convince Tony to let her sit down since she did not have an endless supply of energy like he did, Tony grabbed a beer out of the cooler and really wished it was a twelve year old scotch instead but he would deal. As he watched Pepper sip at her iced tea, Tony realized that he was actually enjoying himself despite the really shitty beginning. He was only brought out of his revelry by the sound of explosions and Pepper grabbing his hand to see the fireworks.

"They're nice but I could probably make better," Tony teased only to get an elbow in the stomach from Pepper. "I'm just saying…my dad and I made our own for the fourth of July every year."

"Just hush, Tony and enjoy them," Pepper told him as she watched the brightly colored explosions in the sky.

After the finale sent off the last bang, Pepper started to turn back to the motel but Tony stopped her with a gentle touch to her hand.

"Come on, Potts. One last dance," he suggested as he led her back to the dance floor as the band started to play something slow by Chicago.

Pepper acquiesced to his request far easier than she ever had before. Unlike the swing from earlier or even the Firemen's Benefit, she relaxed this time, wrapping both her arms around Tony's neck as they moved.

The smile was unmistakable on Tony's lips when Pepper wrapped her arms around his neck. His hands slid around her waist and pulled her closer to him, feeling none of the tension that he had felt the last time.

"I knew you could relax around me," Tony said softly as he was looking into Pepper's eyes.

"I never said I couldn't." Pepper returned.

"You didn't need to say it…" Tony whispered. "And I believe I owe you something," Tony said as he brushed his fingers lightly against her cheek and closed his eyes as he leaned in…


	3. Monday & Tuesday Rated NC17M

"Come on, Potts. One last dance," he suggested as he led her back to the dance floor as the band started to play something slow by Chicago.

Pepper acquiesced to his request far easier than she ever had before. Unlike the swing from earlier or even the Firemen's Benefit, she relaxed this time, wrapping both her arms around Tony's neck as they moved.

The smile was unmistakable on Tony's lips when Pepper wrapped her arms around his neck. His hands slid around her waist and pulled her closer to him, feeling none of the tension that he had felt the last time.

"I knew you could relax around me," Tony said softly as he was looking into Pepper's eyes.

"I never said I couldn't." Pepper returned.

"You didn't need to say it…" Tony whispered. "And I believe I owe you something," Tony said as he brushed his fingers lightly against her cheek and closed his eyes as he leaned in and captured Pepper's lips in a deep passion filled kiss that should have happened on that night on the roof. As the music stopped and before he got pulled down too deep, Tony backed off to gauge Pepper's reaction. When he didn't immediately see what he was looking for or expecting, he let go of her waist, backed up and turned to leave, fearing he had just ruined the best thing in his life.

When Tony kissed her, Pepper was a little surprised at first but gave in quickly considering it was something that she wanted for a very long time. But when Tony looked into her eyes, she was still stunned until he started walking away looking broken. How could so many things go so wrong so quickly?

Pepper started to run after Tony. No sooner she had left the confines of the tent and managed to catch up to Tony, the sky opened up once again.

"Tony, stop!" Pepper cried out as the rain soaked her hair and her blouse, making it stick to her.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…" Tony said in his own defense but was quickly cut off by Pepper capturing his lips in a kiss with equal passion to his own.

Tony was caught off guard for a moment but quickly recovered as he pulled Pepper close to him; just the sensation of her body next to his was sending him over the top. Only his last conscious thought kept his mind working as he parted from the kiss and enjoyed the sight of Pepper soaking wet in front of him with only the little flowers embroidered on her blouse keeping him from getting a full few of her treasures.

"We should get inside," he told her as he took her hand and ran inside for the motel room to get out of the rain and back to that kiss.

Once they were back in the room, Tony locked the door behind them and took Pepper back into his arms, walking backwards until he fell backwards on to the bed with Pepper on top of him. He inched back so they would not fall off before he rolled on to his side, never letting his lips break from hers as he pressed her body close to his.

Pepper was quickly losing all of her rational mind as her passionate side took over. Just Tony's kiss was sending her over the edge. "We should get out of these wet clothes," she whispered to him softly. "Care to help me?" she added as she backed off a little bit, unbuttoning her top button.

Tony had to make sure that he heard her right first even though her actions were reading loud and clear and his body was responding to it. "Are you sure about this, Pepper?" Tony asked a little hesitantly as he sat up and glanced at the small buttons on her blouse at first and then back up to her eyes. "Because as much as I want this, I have to know you're sure because you mean way too much to me for this to be a hurried ride."

Pepper toyed with the edge of Tony's t-shirt before her eyes locked on his as she lifted it off over his head and tossed it off the edge of the bed. "I have never been surer of wanting anything else in my life." She told him with total honesty as her fingers caressed the bare skin of his chest just past the reactor. "I want to be with you." Pepper whispered before she moved to capture Tony's lips again.

Those six words sent Tony's head spinning and all his blood quickly rushing south. He was nearly about to bend her backwards on the bed when one thing smacked him upside the head and he stopped.

"Is something wrong?" Pepper asked since she was a little confused that Tony had all of a sudden backed away from her.

Tony's cheeks flushed with the pink tinge of embarrassment. "I want this more than anything else in the world but there is a slight…hiccup." He sort of stammered out.

"What's this so called hiccup?" Pepper asked now that she was a little disappointed how the mood quickly shifted.

Tony swallowed hard. "Well, when we left for the convention…and forgive me for how I am phrasing this…I wasn't exactly expecting to get lucky so am somewhat…unprepared." He admitted as he cringed slightly.

A smile spread across Pepper's lips as she had to stifle a bit of laughter as she grabbed her purse. "I would have thought that a playboy would have always had preparations," she said softly as she reached into her purse and pulled out two small foil packets. "My mother had always said that you can't always rely on the guy to be prepared."

Tony saw what Pepper had pulled out and it went right to his head. "Were you planning this?" he asked incredulously.

Pepper shook her head 'no' as she pulled him close again to get the kiss back that was interrupted.

Tony followed as Pepper laid back and stretched out along the bed diagonally, only breaking the kiss for a second. "Do you realize how much this is turning me on right now?"

"Show me," Pepper purred in his ear.

"Absolutely…" Tony nearly growled as his lips met hers. As they kissed, Tony's hands ghosted up Pepper's side and over her breasts on his way to the tiny buttons, popping each button open slowly with his fingers and slipping inside to caress her breasts over the white lace bra she was wearing. As her blouse fell open, Tony left Pepper's lips and started to make his way down her jaw and neck until he met the delicious up swell where her breasts began before going back up to her lips when his strong hands took the place of his lips.

Pepper arched her back into Tony's touch. The sensual mixture of strength and gentility in his hands was turning her to putty in them. Her fingers ran down his side until she slipped her small hand beneath the waistband of his jeans to find his rear, one she would love to bounce quarters off of. She kneaded him for a few moments before going back up his stomach, stopping at his jeans and nimbly popping the button open and unzipping the fly to slip her hand inside to caress his ever more prominent arousal.

Tony couldn't even try to hide the groan of pleasure when Pepper touched him. His hand quickly slid down her back and unhooked her bra with definite skill that most women didn't possess. As he slid her bra down her shoulders, Tony pulled her against him so he could feel her soft skin against his, her breasts pressing against his chest just enough to drive him mad. Once the bra that was in the way of his enjoyment was out of the way, Tony moved back down to her breasts, taking them in his mouth with deep passion filled kisses as his hand slid over her hip and down her bare leg before sliding up her inner thigh to the warm juncture between her legs under her skirt. With a combination of his nimble fingers and strong hand, he caressed and played with Pepper's most secret and treasured spot, feeling how wet she was getting even through her lace panties.

Pepper gasped when she felt Tony's fingers stroking and playing with her sex. She had been alternating between his chest, backside, ears and prominent arousal but when he touched her, she slipped her hand inside his boxer briefs to stroke him far more thoroughly and she swore that she heard him stop breathing when her hand touched him. It was in that second that she pushed both his jeans and his underwear down his legs to free him from his constraining prison.

Tony kicked off his jeans once Pepper pushed them down but something wasn't very fair to him. Pepper still had way too much on. He captured her lips once more as he popped open the button on the jean skirt and slid it and her panties off, giving him uninhibited access. He gazed at her for a moment in all her beauty, the gorgeous pink blush along her breasts and in between her legs, he red lips and beautiful hair. If this was heaven, he didn't want to leave. While her hand was still stroking him bringing his already highly developed erection even further and testing his self control, he captured her breast with his mouth once more as his fingers played with the warm wetness between her legs, slipping a finger inside of her.

Pepper's hips reflexively moved with Tony's finger inside of her and it was then that she wanted him inside of her desperately. As she kissed him deeply, she unrolled the condom over his arousal as her hint that she was ready.

Tony was damn lucky that he didn't lose it right then and there when Pepper put the condom on him. He gently rolled her on to her back, lying between her legs for a moment just kissing her and caressing her before he slowly pushed himself inside of her, not moving at first but letting her body get used to him.

Pepper's breath caught when Tony slid inside of her. From what she felt, he fit so well inside of her. She let her legs fall open a little wider for him before she wrapped them around his hips.

Tony started to thrust slowly inside of Pepper, wanting to draw this out as long as he possibly could. For once, he was glad that he and Pepper were nearly the same height because it meant he could kiss her at the same time as they were making love.

He continued to thrust slowly inside of her, only speeding up slightly when he felt Pepper's body grasp his as he brought her to and over the edge of orgasmic bliss. Pepper held on to Tony so tightly as waves of ecstasy swept over her, continuing even when she felt Tony join her as well.

As the waves of bliss subsided, Tony reluctantly withdrew from Pepper and ducked into the bathroom only for a second to get rid of the used condom before climbing back into bed beside Pepper. Pepper pulled the blankets over their heated bodies as she curled into Tony's shoulder pleasantly exhausted.

When she laid her head on his shoulder, Tony wrapped his arms around Pepper, holding her close as exhaustion claimed them both.

The next time that Pepper looked at the bedside clock, it was just past two in the morning. She had awoken from a pleasant dream still safely curled in Tony's arms as he slept. She watched him for a moment, seeing how he seemed truly at peace rather than what he usually was after sex…quick to get away from whatever Barbie doll he brought home and out of sight until she left. Pepper knew this time was different. She knew deep down in her heart that this was where both of them wanted to be with absolutely no desire to leave.

Tony's lips were parted slightly as he slept, snoring slightly. Pepper smiled to herself as she reached up and kissed his lips gently at first but deepened it with a bit more passion.

Being pulled from deep sleep by an even deeper kiss was a damn good way to wake up according to Tony. His eyes blinked open for a second before he wrapped his arms around Pepper's waist and pulled her totally on top of him before he sat up and leaned against the head board, already partially aroused again.

Pepper straddled Tony's legs as she stroked him to bring him to full arousal once more, which did not take long at all. Soon after, she found herself deliciously filled with Tony once more and riding through their second mind blowing orgasm of the night.

The sun was shining brightly through the seams of the curtains the next morning. After they had made love for the second time, Tony spooned behind Pepper, holding her body close to his as they slept by a protective arm over her waist. He awoke slowly to the fruity smell of her shampoo in his nose. Not quite willing to leave this dream yet, Tony shifted slightly and snuggled into her warmth perfectly relaxed.

Pepper felt Tony move against her and she woke up with a contented sigh. "It's Tuesday." She whispered.

"I know…" Tony sighed. "Means we can go home now."

Pepper nodded even though she thought things could easily go bad once they got home. "I guess we should get cleaned up before we go," she said with a hint of sadness to her voice, not wanting to leave the comfort of the warm bed beside Tony.

"I can agree with a shower for two," Tony said with a smirk. "Sounds like fun to me."

"Just as long as you don't hog all the hot water," Pepper added in as she reluctantly pulled herself from the bed and walked naked into the bathroom to turn on the hot water.

"Excuse me? Which one of us has been hogging the hot water all weekend and which one of us has been taking very cold and unfriendly showers?" Tony said with a smirk as he followed Pepper into the bathroom.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Pepper said with an innocent smile as she stepped into the bathtub with Tony following behind her.

Pepper had picked up the soap and a wash cloth first before Tony had taken it away from her so he could wash her and she him. An 'innocent' shower quickly turned into something a lot hotter. Washing especially delicate and sensitive spots turned on the fire of desire and arousal for the third time in less than twenty-four hours but was satiated by mere creative touch that was just as powerful as the two times during the night.

After breakfast, Tony walked into the post office and put two quarters into the pay phone and attempted to dial but paused. "Pepper? What's the number I want?"

Pepper smiled as she pulled up the number of the pilot of the jet on her BlackBerry and showed it to Tony with a sigh. He would be lost without her?

"Thanks," Tony said as he dialed quickly and then took Pepper's hand and pulled her close to him. It barely rang once before a less than calm voice answered the phone. "Happy?" Tony repeated. "No, we're fine…We got stranded in a little town here…There is no need to call Rhodey and start a search party…Just send the helicopter…an hour, perfect."

"Something wrong?" Pepper asked as Tony hung up the phone.

Tony sighed as he pulled Pepper into a hug. "Since we didn't show up at the plane and no one could reach our cell phones, Happy went ahead and called Rhodey and was going to send out a search party if we didn't check in today."

"They were just looking out for us," Pepper said as she kissed Tony's lips gently.

"But I have had enough for search parties for a very long time," Tony reminded her. "For now, click your red heels," Tony said before looking down at her sneakered feet, "and say there's no place like home."

An hour and a half later, Tony and Pepper were climbing the steps to Tony's private jet and as soon as they were on the plane, Tony was giving the pilot a cue to get a move on to head back to Los Angeles.

As soon as the plane was in the air, Tony headed back to the small bedroom on the plane, yawning the whole way back. Pepper followed to make sure he was alright.

"Do you feel alright?" she asked with concern as Tony pulled her down onto the bed next to him.

"Just tired," he whispered as he spooned against her again. "You exhausted me."

"Are you regretting it?" Pepper asked as she stretched out and laid down next to him.

"Not one bit," Tony whispered before he fell silent for a moment. "I love you…I love you so much…this has been one of the happiest times in my entire life."

The words rang out like crystal bells in Pepper's ears. They scared her definitely but it was the one thing she wanted more in the world and Tony had just laid his heart out to her. "I love you too, Tony."

"Stay with me tonight?" Tony whispered with a contented sigh as he pulled her as close as he could.

"I would love to."

_Gabriel smiled as he watched the Stark Industries jet fly back to California with another couple tucked inside deeply in love. "I may have to reconsider using you two more often," he said coolly as O'Reilly and Jackson sat in front of him with proud smiles. "Two couples happily together and this time I didn't need to bring you back from the dead. Well done."_

_"Thank you, sir. We tried." Jackson said modestly._

_"Well, since you two are still in one piece…here's your next assignment," Gabriel said as he pulled a folder out of his desk. "They are two scientists who need to find the love they once had all over again…"_


End file.
